A commander of the Ahrar al-Sham armed Islamist group, Abdullah Mohammad al-Hasm, was reportedly killed in southern Aleppo on Saturday night during clashes with the Syrian Army. This was confirmed on Sunday evening according to Iran's Fars News Agency which added that several of his men were also killed along with him during the clashes. al-Hasm was a Kuwaiti national. His death comes as the Syrian military is gearing up for another offensive against Aleppo, an escalation which may break the ceasefire between the Syrian regime and the recognized opposition since February 27 and also jeopardize the fragile Geneva peace talks. While Ahrar al-Sham is a Salafi Islamist group it hasn't been excluded from that ceasefire like the al-Qaeda affiliated Jabhat al-Nursa and the Islamic State (ISIS) are. Russia has confirmed it will support this latest offensive with its air force.
